


Always Room for More

by enigmaticblue



Series: Sun 'Verse [21]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-19
Updated: 2013-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-05 03:05:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1088863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing was, they always had room for more. That was just how it worked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always Room for More

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the hc_bingo prompt, "unconsciousness"

Cas was halfway out of bed before the pounding on the door fully woke him up. Dean moved a little more slowly, fishing around on the floor for his discarded jeans. Cas found his pants and hurriedly pulled them on, grabbing his t-shirt and pulling it on as he rushed out of the bedroom.

 

Henry and Casey were already in the front hallway, and Henry had the rifle and was loading it with sure hands.

 

Cas grimaced, wishing that their kids didn’t have to go straight for the weapons when they had unexpected visitors pounding on their door in the middle of the night.

 

Henry pointed the rifle towards the door, although he didn’t bring it up to bear.

 

The pounding started again, and Cas swung the door open, revealing a dark-haired boy of about twelve, his face dirty and too-thin. “Please, you gotta help us.”

 

“Cal?” Casey said, darting in front of Cas. “Where’s Rich?”

 

The boy stared at her. “You’re here? I thought—I wasn’t sure…” He gulps, his bottom lip trembling.

 

“What’s going on?” Dean asked as he limped down the stairs.

 

The boy didn’t say anything, trembling and pale, and Cas said, “Okay, son. We’re going to help you, but you have to calm down and tell us what happened.”

 

“We were trying to find Casey,” he said, staring at her. “But then Rich and Jace got sick, and now they won’t wake up!”

 

Cas was already shoving his feet into his boots that were sitting by the front door. “Henry, you’re in charge.”

 

Ryan came running down the stairs. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

 

“Papa Dean!” Cora called, following him.

 

Cas sighed, knowing from experience that none of them were going to get any sleep that night, and the kids would be cranky and tired tomorrow.

 

Dean held up his hands. “Henry and Cora—I need you to make some sandwiches and tea, okay? Ryan, run out and get Ben and Mary up. I need Ben to go into town and get Maryanne. Tell her to call the doctor. Casey, you can come with us. You—what’s your name?”

 

“Cal,” the boy said with a sniff.

 

“Cal,” Dean said. “You can take us to your brother. Who else is with you?”

 

Cal shrugged. “Jace—Jacinta. She and Rich are a thing. That’s why we had to leave Mr. Arnold’s place.”

 

Cas didn’t much like the sound of that. They had their hands full with Ben and Mary already.

 

“All right,” Dean said. “Let’s get moving. How far away are they?”

 

Cal shook his head. “I don’t know. I ran the whole way.”

 

“We’ll take the Willys,” Dean said. “We can cram in.”

 

Cas grabbed the keys from the hook on the wall, and put a hand on Casey’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “It’s going to be okay,” he promised.

 

Ryan ran out barefoot to get Ben from the barn as Cas climbed into the passenger seat of the Willys with Casey and Cal tumbling into the back.

 

“You left Mr. Arnold’s place ages ago,” Casey said quietly. “I thought you’d left for good.”

 

“We were trying to get out west,” Cal replied quietly. “Rich and Jace thought they could find work in Seattle.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“We got stuck in Idaho on a sugar beet farm,” Cal replied quietly. “It kind of sucked.”

 

Cas glanced over his shoulder to see Casey’s frown. “Why didn’t you come here first? Papa Dean and Papa Cas would have helped.”

 

“We didn’t know if it would be any better,” Cal said in a low voice. “Dad said you’d be safe, but there wouldn’t be room for us. We didn’t want to screw things up for you if you had a good thing.”

 

Cas was beginning to see just how Casey’s dad had played his kids off each other, splitting them up like he did and telling them they couldn’t be together.

 

And it was true that Casey couldn’t have stayed with Arnold, but their dad didn’t have to discourage Casey’s brothers from contacting her.

 

“It’s better here,” Casey said quietly. “It’s really good.”

 

“I’m glad,” Cal said softly. “I’m glad you were safe.”

 

Cas looked at Dean, who had a faint smile as they approached the end of the long drive. “Where are we going next?” Dean asked.

 

Cal made a small sound. “Um, I think—I turned left.”

 

“Right, then,” Dean replied. “And if this isn’t the right way, we’ll turn around and go the other way. No big deal, kiddo.”

 

Right turned out to be the wrong direction. They were about a mile down the road when Cal said hesitantly, “Sorry, mister. I think it’s the other way.”

 

Dean made a U-turn and headed back the other way. “Just give a holler when things start to look familiar, okay?”

 

They were a couple of miles down the road in the other direction when Cal said, “Wait, stop! Here!”

 

Deep brush lined the road in this area, and Dean pulled over to the shoulder. “Casey, I want you to stick close to Cas, okay? Hang back.”

 

Dean grabbed the high-powered flashlights from the back of the Willys, handing one off to Cas before he started following Cal through the brush.

 

Casey stumbled along next to Cas, and he reached for her hand to steady her. She held on tightly, her palm slightly sweaty, and he squeezed back.

 

It was too bad Sam was spending the night with Julia; he and Casey had forged a connection when the shifter had come for her, and Cas suspected she’d appreciate Sam’s presence now.

 

The kids had apparently been camping out in the open, with just a couple of blankets between them, which wasn’t a problem right now, but would swiftly become one as summer turned to fall.

 

A teenage boy and girl shared one blanket. Neither moved when Dean shone the light on them, and Cas took that as a bad sign. Dean dropped to his knees next to the girl, who appeared to be no more than sixteen. The boy looked about the same age, and Cas could see the family resemblance to Casey immediately.

 

“She has a pulse, but it’s weak,” Dean said in a low voice.

 

Cas picked up the boy’s wrist, feeling for a pulse. “Same. Can you get the girl? I can come back for her if not.”

 

Dean nodded. “Might need to take it slow, but I think I can manage. Casey, help Cal gather their belongings.”

 

Cas picked the boy up in a fireman’s carry, noticing that he didn’t weigh nearly as much as he should. Dean handed his flashlight to Casey and picked up the girl with a grunt. “I’m okay,” Dean insisted.

 

They took it slow, Dean limping along in Cas’ wake, Cal and Casey hauling their meager belongings.

 

Cas began to make a mental list of all the things they’d need, and where they’d put them, at least for now. He wasn’t sure how they’d make it work, but they always did.

 

~~~~~

 

The truth was that Sam had all but moved in with Julia months ago, but he hadn’t made it official because he’d spent eight years apart from Dean, and he didn’t want to leave his brother again.

 

Thank God, Julia had her own complicated family relationships, and since she and Sam saw each other nearly every day, she hadn’t pressed him to stay full time.

 

And that might have something to do with the fact that she’d been single a long time, and Julia liked her space. Sam got the feeling that she didn’t really mind the nights when she had the bed to herself.

 

Of course, even if he _had_ officially moved out, there would still be nights like this, when someone pounded on the door in the middle of the night.

 

Sam was awake and pulling on a pair of pants before Julia even stirred. “What—”

 

“I’ll check it out,” Sam assured her. “It’s okay.”

 

He padded downstairs quickly and glanced through the glass pane to the side of the door to see Ben, wearing cutoffs and a holey t-shirt, bare feet shoved into tennis shoes. Sam unlocked the door quickly, and immediately asked, “What happened?”

 

“Everybody is okay,” Ben said quickly. “Mostly okay. I got this secondhand from Ryan, so it’s a little garbled, but it seems like one of Casey’s brothers showed up tonight. He said her other brother and another kid were in the woods, unconscious, and they wouldn’t wake up.”

 

Sam frowned. “What do you need me to do?”

 

“Dad and Cas took Casey and her brother to look for them,” Ben said. “But once they find them, they might need some help. I’m going to get Maryanne, and see if the doctor’s in town.”

 

“She is,” Julia said from behind Sam. She’d wrapped her robe around herself, and she padded down the stairs. “Good thing Aubrey could sleep through a bomb going off.”

 

“I’m sorry to have woken you,” Ben offered sincerely. “It’s just that Dad and Cas took off before I could go, and you know how bad Dad’s leg has been lately.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Sam replied. “Julia, you said Dr. Jameson was in town.”

 

“Here to see Myra Davis,” Julia replied. “She’s pretty close to her due date.”

 

Ben nodded. “I’ll get Maryanne, and then I’ll get the doctor.”

 

“Just let me get dressed, and then I’ll head up to the house,” Sam promised.

 

“Thanks, Uncle Sam,” Ben said. “I’ll feel better knowing you’re there, and I know Casey will appreciate it, too.”

 

Sam turned back to Julia once Ben was gone. “Sorry about that.”

 

She smiled ruefully. “You have to go. You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do, won’t you?”

 

“Of course.” He pulled her in for a hard hug. “I’ll let you know tomorrow how things are going.”

 

“You’d better,” Julia replied. “Tell Dean and Cas that I’ll bring something by for dinner tomorrow.”

 

Sam pressed his lips to her forehead. “You don’t have to do that.”

 

“I want to,” she responded.

 

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sam promised. “Love you.”

 

“Love you, too,” she said.

 

Sam figured he was lucky to have _two_ homes, after so long without one.

 

~~~~~

 

They packed all four kids into the backseat of the Willys, and they rolled down the windows to let a little fresh air in. In the confines of the vehicle, it was very obvious that they hadn’t been able to bathe for a while.

 

Cas drove back, mostly because he could see how much Dean was hurting. After so many years together, he could always tell when Dean was in pain.

 

The house was lit up when they approached, and Cas saw Maryanne’s truck parked out front. “Let me get the girl,” Cas said to Dean as he parked as close to the house as he could get. “There’s no sense in you risking further injury.”

 

Dean didn’t argue, and that fact alone told Cas that he’d put a lot of strain on his bad leg.

 

It turned out that they didn’t have to worry, because Sam loped out of the house as soon as Cas had parked.

 

“Uncle Sam!” Casey called, naked relief in her voice.

 

“Hey, Tough Stuff,” Sam replied, giving her a one-armed hug. “Ben said your brothers showed up tonight.”

 

“Rich won’t wake up,” she said, her voice shaking.

 

Cas carefully pulled Rich’s unresponsive form out of the backseat, Cal hovering just behind him.

 

“I’ve got him,” Sam said, slinging the boy over his shoulder. “Come on, Casey. Let’s get them settled.”

 

And Cas breathed out a sigh of relief, because with Sam present, it would be far easier to keep Dean from overdoing it.

 

Maryanne met them in the front entrance. “How are they?”

 

“Still unconscious,” Cas replied, carrying the girl inside. “They haven’t shown any signs of coming around.”

 

“We’ve got cots set up down here,” Maryanne replied. “We’ll make them as comfortable as we can. Ben’s gone for the doctor. Sam, you take Casey and her brother to the kitchen. Henry has tea and sandwiches.”

 

Sam settled Rich in one of the cots, and then retreated, pulling Casey and Cal along with him. “Come on, guys. Let Maryanne and Cas do their jobs.”

 

“You need me?” Dean asked from the doorway.

 

“Bring a basin of hot water,” Maryanne instructed. “Actually, make that two.”

 

Dean nodded. “You got it.”

 

“Let’s get them out of these filthy clothes,” Maryanne said briskly, glancing at Cas. “You take the boy.”

 

Cas felt a little strange about undressing the boy while he’s out, but Maryanne was right. His jeans were stiff with dirt, and his shirt was little better. With the shirt off, Cas could count his ribs, which show clearly under thin, pale skin.

 

“Poor kids,” Maryanne murmured. “It looks like they’ve had a very rough time of it.”

 

“They would have left Arnold’s over a year ago,” Cas replied quietly. “And life is very difficult for children with no place to go.”

 

Dean returned with a basin of water, Mary behind him with another. She set it down next to Maryanne and signed, “Can I help?”

 

“We’ll get them cleaned up a bit,” Maryanne said. “You can help me with the girl.”

 

Dean sat on the couch while Cas began to clean Rich’s face. “Can you tell what’s wrong with them, Cas?”

 

“I don’t think it’s a normal sickness,” Cas said quietly. “There’s no fever, and they’re completely unresponsive. It looks more like a coma than anything else.”

 

Dean grunted. “Reminds me of the shtriga in Wisconsin, or even the lamia here.”

 

Cas sat back on his heels. “There are witches that feed on romantic energy and life force. It could be something like that.”

 

“Witches,” Dean spat, rising with some difficulty. “I’ll talk to Cal, see if we can get a better idea of what happened the last few days.”

 

Maryanne tucked Jacinta in and smoothed her hair. “I’ll stay on the couch tonight if that’s okay. It’s a little late to be driving back, and I’m happy to help.”

 

“It’s appreciated,” Cas said quietly. “Mary, would you mind staying here?”

 

Mary signed, “I don’t mind. Let us know if there’s anything else.”

 

Cas pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you.”

 

In the kitchen, Cal was eating a sandwich slowly, the plate in front of him holding only a few crumbs.

 

“There’s more food,” Henry said. “We aren’t going to run out.”

 

Cal didn’t say anything, just focused on the next bite. Casey sat next to him silently, staring down at her hands, and Sam sat next to her, a hand resting on her shoulder. Dean was in his usual spot at the head of the table.

 

Casey looked miserable, and Cas felt a tremendous sympathy for her. She had lost her father, and now she might lose her brother as well.

 

“Cal, we need to ask you a few questions,” Dean said gently. “So we can figure out what happened to your brother and Jace.”

 

Cal nodded. “I understand.”

 

“Where were you before you got to Cypress Grove?” Dean asked.

 

“Hitched a ride out of Rapid City,” Cal admitted. “But he had to let us off before we got to town, so we walked.”

 

“Did you see anyone, talk to anyone?” Dean asked.

 

Cal traced the grain of the wood in the table with his finger. “There was a man. He let us stay in his barn last night, and he gave us some bread and apples.”

 

“Did he seem strange to you? Was there anything that bothered you?” Dean pressed.

 

Cal shrugged. “I don’t know.”

 

“Cal,” Cas said quietly. “If something happened, you can tell us.”

 

“Rich and Jace said I should take a walk,” Cal said very quietly. “When I came back, the man was really close to the barn. I think he was, um, looking through the window. I made sure he didn’t see me.”

 

Cas grimaced at the thought, although it fit. If this warlock fed off sexual energy, it made sense that he would play voyeur.

 

“What happened after that?” Dean asked.

 

“I waited until he was gone, and then I went inside and fell asleep,” Cal said. “It’s not a big deal. I mean, that guy wasn’t even the biggest creep we’ve met.”

 

Cas shared a look with Dean and Sam. He could see that they both had some idea of what Cal meant, and Cas had been around humanity for long enough that he did, too.

 

Casey made a noise and ducked away from Sam’s touch, nearly falling off the bench and running up the stairs, her feet pounding.

 

“Where are Ryan and Cora?” Dean asked quietly once the sound of her footsteps faded.

 

“They were asleep at the table when I arrived, and I carried them upstairs,” Sam replied.

 

Dean sighed. “Small favors. Henry, why don’t you take Cal upstairs, show him where he can get cleaned up, and find him some clothes?”

 

Henry nodded. “Come on, Cal.”

 

“Shouldn’t Ben be back by now?” Dean asked, sounding worried.

 

“He might have needed to wait for the doctor,” Sam suggested. “Do you think Casey’s all right?”

 

Cas rubbed his eyes, his weariness catching up to him. “I think that having her brothers back is more difficult than she’d anticipated.”

 

“Family,” Dean said with a knowing look directed at Sam.

 

Sam nodded, just as the front door opened.

 

“Dad! I brought the doctor,” Ben called.

 

Dean stood, and his leg buckled. He nearly went down, but Sam and Cas both lunged for him at the same time and caught him.

 

“Sit,” Cas ordered. “I’ll talk to the doctor.”

 

“Not like she’ll be able to do any good,” Dean muttered. “Not if it’s a witch.”

 

“We’ll see what she has to say,” Cas said. “And if it’s a witch, Sam and I can handle it.”

 

Dean scrubbed his hands over his face. “Looks like you’re going to have to.”

 

Cas leaned down to give him a long kiss. “Just sit. Rest.

 

Dr. Jameson was checking Rich’s pupils when Cas entered the room. “Lucky for you I was in town,” she said.

 

“How do they look?” Cas asked.

 

Jameson shook her head. “Beats the hell out of me. There’s no fever, no sign of sickness. Their pupils are responsive, so it seems they’re still in there, but I have no answers for you. You could take them to the hospital in Rapid City, but I’m not sure there’s much I can do for them.”

 

“His brother seems okay, if malnourished,” Cas replied.

 

“I’ll be back tomorrow to look in on them, and then I’m due in Pierre to get a shipment of medications,” Jameson said.

 

Cas nodded, saying nothing about their suspicions as to what was causing it. “Thanks, doctor.”

 

“If you end up taking them to Rapid City, give the docs there my name,” Jameson said. “They’ll write the bill off as charity.”

 

Cas would like to tell her that she didn’t have to do that, but if they do have to take the kids to the hospital, there was no way they could pay.

 

And in reality, if they didn’t find out what happened, and soon, they’ll have to take them to the hospital anyway, because they couldn’t care for them here for much more than a couple of days.

 

~~~~~

 

Sam ended up hauling Dean up to bed while Cas was talking to the doctor, knowing that he’d have an easier time of it than Cas would. The fact that Dean went without a protest told Sam just how bad he was hurting.

 

“Thanks for coming tonight, Sammy,” Dean said as Sam deposited him on the side of the bed. “I didn’t tell Ben to get you, but it was good to have you here.”

 

“I’m glad Ben did,” Sam replied. “And I will always be here when you need me.”

 

He left unsaid that he hadn’t been there for so many years and he wasn’t about to miss an opportunity now.

 

“And you and Julia deserve to have an uninterrupted evening,” Dean countered.

 

Sam smiled. “That was last night. I’ll just bunk here tonight in case you need me.”

 

Ben and Mary were in the kitchen when Sam came downstairs, looking weary but otherwise alert. “You go to bed, Uncle Sam,” Ben said. “Mary and I are going to be awake for a while.”

 

Sam ruffled his hair and tugged Mary’s braid, not sorry to be back here for the night, happy to be needed, and to feel integral.

 

He woke when Ben came in early, and he rolled out of bed, not knowing when Cas would want to leave, or if they’d need him up at the house.

 

Casey was sitting out on the front steps as he approached, and he sat down next to her. “How come you aren’t in bed?”

 

“Couldn’t sleep that well,” Casey admitted.

 

Sam sat down next to her. “Your brothers asleep?”

 

“Rich still won’t wake up,” Casey said. “Cal is sleeping, though.”

 

Sam was quiet for a long moment, waiting to see if she’d say more, and when she didn’t, he asked, “Are you okay?”

 

Casey rubbed her hands on her jeans. She’d hit another growth spurt recently, so the hem stopped a couple of inches above her ankles, and she was barefoot. “Dad told them not to come find me, but Cal said he made Rich come because things were really bad.”

 

Sam wasn’t sure what made her feel worse—that Rich had no intention of coming for her, or the fact that things were so bad for them while she’d been relatively safe.

 

“Landing on your feet is a matter of luck,” Sam said gently. “Focus on being grateful for what you’ve got here.”

 

Casey wouldn’t meet his eye. “They never wanted me around, you know. They said I couldn’t keep up.”

 

“You keep up around here okay,” Sam countered.

 

“Do you think they’ll stay?” she asked in a very small voice.

 

Sam put an arm around her and held her close. “You know I haven’t been here much longer than you, right?”

 

She sniffed. “Yeah. Henry said Papa Dean thought you were dead.”

 

“I thought Dean was dead, too,” Sam admitted. “But I could have found our Uncle Bobby, or Ben, or Cas, even if I thought Dean wasn’t around anymore.”

 

Casey wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “So?”

 

“So, I was really angry and sad, and I had to do a lot of running before I was ready to stop,” Sam replied, hoping that she understood. “But when I was ready, I came here, and I realized I still had a family.” He gave her an extra squeeze. “And that includes you.”

 

Casey pressed her face against his chest, and Sam just held her, rocking slightly. He wondered if this was how Dean had felt when he’d left—like Sam had rejected him.

 

“I don’t know if they’ll want to stay,” Sam said quietly, when the shudders running through her body had subsided. “But I know that if they want to come back, they’ll have family here.”

 

And they stayed like that for a long time.

 

~~~~~

 

Cas woke up late the next morning, and was rather impressed that no one had woken them up yet. Dean snored lightly next to him, twitching slightly in his sleep, and Cas considered waking him. Massaging the muscles of his leg might help him walk better today, but Cas thought he’d let him sleep as long as possible.

 

The house was quiet as Cas padded downstairs, but he could hear faint sounds from the kitchen, and he found Maryanne sitting at the table with Sam. “Where are the kids?” Cas asked, grateful to see that someone had made coffee.

 

They didn’t drink it every morning, but it seemed called for today.

 

“Casey and Henry are taking Cal on a tour,” Maryanne said. “Ben and Mary are getting some more sleep, and Ryan and Cora are watching a cartoon. I thought the noise might be good for Rich and Jacinta.”

 

Cas nodded. “It certainly couldn’t hurt. Sam?”

 

“We can leave any time you want,” Sam replied. “If you don’t mind swinging past Howl’s and Julia’s so I can let them know what’s going on.”

 

“I think we can give Dean a little time to wake up,” Cas said. “He won’t be happy if we leave before we talk to him.”

 

He heard the creak of the floor, and the heavy thunk of the cane that Dean didn’t use unless he had no choice. “No, I wouldn’t. ‘Morning.”

 

“It is that,” Sam agreed. “You okay?”

 

Dean grunted as he sat. “Gotta remember that my leg won’t take the stress of carrying another hundred pounds.”

 

Cas poured Dean a cup of coffee. “Yes, you do need to remember that.”

 

“What are you going to do with them?” Maryanne asked bluntly.

 

Dean sighed. “Beats the hell out of me. If we can fix whatever’s wrong, then we’ll have to figure out what to do with three extra mouths to feed. If we can’t…”

 

“They can stay here,” Cas said inserted firmly. “We’ll make it work.”

 

“If they wake up,” Dean insisted. “If they don’t, we can’t care for them here.”

 

There was a sound from the doorway, and Casey and Cal stood there looking stricken, Henry just behind them.

 

“Casey, we’re going to do everything we can to fix this,” Sam said, rising swiftly and putting his hands on her shoulders. “Cas and I are going today to check out that guy Cal told us about, okay? And if we can’t help them, we’ll take them to the hospital, and we’ll make sure they get what they need there.”

 

Casey sniffed, and Sam pulled her into a tight hug, running a hand over her dark hair. “I trust you, Uncle Sam.”

 

Cal watched all of this with wide, dark eyes, and Cas could see the naked envy in his face. “What about me?” he asked in a small voice.

 

“You’ll stay with us,” Dean said with finality. “You belong with your family, and Casey’s part of ours, which means you are, too.”

 

Cal just stared at the floor and didn’t reply.

 

“Let’s get going,” Cas said quietly. “The sooner we find this guy, the sooner we can figure it out.”

 

Sam ruffled Casey’s hair and got to his feet. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

 

“I’ll stay here,” Maryanne said. “Come on, Cal. Let’s see if your brother and his girlfriend will drink some broth.”

 

Dean levered himself up with his cane. “You guys be careful, okay?”

 

Cas kissed him hard. “Of course.”

 

They couldn’t leave right away, because they had to pack some food, and collect weapons and other supplies. They got Cal to look at a map and point out where he thought the man had lived.

 

When they were finally ready to leave, Cas pulled Dean aside. “If he did the spell near here, and not at his place—”

 

“There are other targets,” Dean supplied grimly. “I’m aware. I’ll keep Ben and Mary close to home today. If this guy works anything like a shtriga, he’ll have to be close to do the spell.”

 

Cas frowned. “He might also have something of theirs that he’s using to pull the life force from them.”

 

“What—” Dean stopped and made a face. “I can guess. Perv. Don’t take any chances, Cas.”

 

“We’ll take no chances that aren’t necessary,” Cas promised. “But I won’t leave him loose to hunt in this area, or pose a threat to our family.”

 

Dean nodded sharply, and while he might not like it, Cas knew he understood. “Be safe,” Dean said. “Watch Sam’s back.”

 

“Of course,” Cas replied.

 

~~~~~

 

Howl took the news with equanimity. “Think I’ll stop by Dean’s today to see if he needs any help,” he said easily. “And I got gifted with a ham that’s too big for me to eat alone.”

 

Sam was used that sort of reaction by now. People in town pulled together, and they’d do what they could to make sure the kids were taken care of, whatever happened.

 

Cas was driving, and he pulled up in front of Julia’s house without a word on their way out of town.

 

“I won’t be long,” Sam promised as they pulled up in front of her house.

 

Cas nodded. “I’ll wait.”

 

Julia met him at the front door. “What is it?”

 

“We think it was something a little beyond the ordinary that hit the kids,” Sam explained briefly. “Cas and I are going to check it out.”

 

Julia pursed her lips, her eyes closing briefly. “Dean?”

 

“His leg is in bad shape,” Sam replied. “And Ben could be a target based on the profile.”

 

Julia made a sound that might be protest, but she nods her acceptance. “Be safe.”

 

“I have you to come back to, don’t I?” Sam replied.

 

“Sam!” Aubrey called, pounding down the stairs as Sam turned to head back to the car. “How come you didn’t stay last night? You tucked me in!”

 

Aubrey was eight now, and “how come” was his favorite phrase. “Because my brother needed me, and I have to help some people. Is that okay with you, buddy?”

 

Aubrey frowned. “I guess that would be okay.”

 

Sam chuckled. “I have it on good authority that you’re having dinner at Dean’s tonight, and Howl’s going to be there, too. I’ll see you there tonight, huh?”

 

“Awesome!” Aubrey shouted, and ran back inside the house screaming.

 

Julia rolled her eyes. “Thank you so much for that.”

 

“Take him to Dean’s early,” Sam suggested. “Set him loose on Casey. She could use some cheering up.”

 

Julia shook her head. “Poor kid. All right, get going, you. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back.”

 

Sam swung himself into the Willys. “Off we go.”

 

Cas backed out of the driveway and pointed the car toward the highway. “Good thing three kids can’t get too far in two days. Even if Cal is wrong, we have a limited area to search.”

 

“Oddly enough, that doesn’t make me feel better,” Sam replied. “If he’s that close, he’s too close.”

 

They bounced another mile down the road, and Cas said, “It’s possible that this is a new development. This kind of energy theft has two purposes: either he needs it to stay alive, or he wants something he can’t get any other way.”

 

Sam had been hunting more in the last few months than he had in the last eight years, between rescuing Ben from the wendigo, the poltergeist last month, and now the witch. He was rusty, but the thought processes were deeply ingrained. “It could be a combination. He would have known that the kids were alone. He might not be willing to hunt in this area because kids would be missed.”

 

Cas frowned. “That means he might have hunting grounds somewhere else. He could go to Rapid City, Denver, Sioux City—bigger cities where a couple of kids struck down by an illness wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. If he’s been in the area long enough, he might even be aware that Dean and I killed a lamia the first time we were in Cypress Grove.”

 

Sam had a bad feeling about this. “If that’s the case, he could be pretty powerful. How do you want to handle it?”

 

“There are witch killing spells,” Cas said. “But we don’t have the ingredients, and we’d have to go farther afield to find them.”

 

Sam rubbed his mouth. “We’ll need to get close enough to see if he’s the one who did this. It’s not like we have a lot of suspects, but we have to be sure.”

 

Cas was silent for a long moment. “Do you think he knows where the children are now?”

 

“Maybe,” Sam said. “But maybe not. What are you thinking?”

 

“I let you off down the road, you sneak up to the house, and I bang on the door saying that I found three kids along the side of the road, unconscious,” Cas suggested. “I ask for help and get him outside, and you break in and do a search.”

 

Sam considered the plan, but shook his head. “There’s too much of a risk that he’ll shoot you on the front porch.”

 

“I’m open to suggestions,” Cas said.

 

Sam thought quickly. “I have an idea, but you’re going to hate it.”

 

Cas frowned. “With a lead in like that, I already hate it.”

 

~~~~~

 

Cas hated it less than he had expected. All it required was approaching the house like a couple of people who had been on the road a long time, and acting like a couple.

 

“Let me handle it,” Sam said quietly as they approached the house.

 

Cas shrugged, because he honestly had no idea how to act like one half of a couple if it wasn’t with Dean. He was willing to follow Sam’s lead in this matter.

 

There were times when Cas forgot exactly what it meant for Sam and Dean to have been hunters, and to have lived the lives they had. Both of them were thoroughly domesticated at this point, more interested in family than life on the road.

 

But Cas watched as Sam’s shoulders slumped, as his gait took on a limping quality, and when he reached back, Cas took his hand.

 

They were brothers of a sort, after all, and they had children to save.

 

Cas mirrored Sam’s weary posture and hoped they didn’t look too well fed.

 

Sam knocked on the door, but tentatively, looking like he wasn’t sure of his welcome.

 

Cas was reminded of their trip to Denver to get drugs for Henry last year; Sam’s performance when he’d called the buyer had been masterful.

 

The man who opened the door was probably in his early sixties, and he was nearly as tall as Sam, and built like a rock, but Cas could see the telltale signs of illness in the slight stoop of his shoulders, and the tremor in his hands.

 

Cas had been ministering to the sick and dying for years now, and he knew a dying man when he saw one.

 

If this man had decided to steal children’s life force to stave off death, he might be tempted by Cas and Sam.

 

“Can I help you?” he asked gruffly.

 

“Our ride broke down,” Sam said hesitantly. “And I’ve got a bum leg. We saw you had a barn. Would you mind if we slept there tonight? We have a little money.”

 

The man grunted. “Money’s no good out here. You got anything else to trade?”

 

Sam shrugged. “The clothes on our backs?”

 

The man’s expression turned calculating. “Come on in. I got a little extra bread, and there are apples out back if you want to pick your own.”

 

So far, the man was exactly what Cal had said, although he had invited them inside, rather than relegating them to the barn immediately.

 

 Cas didn’t know if that was a good sign or not.

 

“Can I use your bathroom?” Cas asked, trying to match Sam’s conciliatory tone. “I’m very sorry, but—”

 

The man waved him silent, and Cas saw a long, thin scab on his wrist. “End of the hall, and to the right.”

 

Cas had been elected to search because Sam had a better chance of keeping the man occupied. Sam was certainly a better actor, and he could honestly tell the man of his time in the cities, and his trips across the country, hopefully keeping the man focused on him long enough for Cas to determine if he was their perpetrator.

 

The bathroom was free from any signs of witchcraft, but that was to be expected. Cas opened the door at the end of the hall, and found nothing but old furniture and piles of moldering newspapers and magazines.

 

He realized that he had no chance of looking around the rest of the house without causing alarm, so he flushed the toilet and took his time washing his hands.

 

Cas had to assume that the man had an altar set up somewhere, and he suspected it would be in an area of the house no one else would have cause to go.

 

When he came back down the hall, Sam had a few slices of bread in a plastic bag and was still standing in the entryway.

 

Clearly, they weren’t going to get anywhere with subterfuge. They would have to be a little more aggressive.

 

“Thank you so much,” Cas said quietly. “I appreciate it.”

 

Confusion crossed Sam’s face, and he added, “Yeah, thanks. You don’t know how good it will be to sleep under a roof tonight.”

 

The man turned back to Sam, and Cas struck fast and hard, bringing both hands down on the back of the man’s head, and when he fell to his knees with a groan, Cas followed that up with a kick to his temple, knocking him out.

 

Sam stared at him. “We didn’t talk about this.”

 

“At the very least, he watched two children have sex,” Cas replied. “I’m not feeling charitable.”

 

Sam looked at the man’s still form and shrugged. “Fair point. I guess we should be grateful there isn’t much in the way of authorities around here.”

 

“We have dirt on him,” Cas said. “And if he is what Cal suggested, he won’t be waking up.”

 

Sam looked momentarily shocked, and then he murmured, “Sometimes I forget what you were.”

 

“Angels of the lord are fierce warriors,” Cas agreed. “And if you think they would do anything to protect their father, and their mission, just think about what I would do given the proper motivation.”

 

~~~~~

 

Sam tended to forget that Cas had been _Castiel_ a decade before—an implacable warrior who would do anything he was ordered.

 

These days, Sam was used to _Cas_ , the guy who made dinner, and held hands with Dean when they thought no one was looking, and went to tea parties with a six-year-old girl because she asked him to.

 

Really, he wasn’t all that different, when Sam stopped to think about it. It was just that his priorities had changed.

 

So had Sam’s.

 

He wasn’t sure what he’d been hoping they’d find, or if he was hoping they’d find anything, but sure enough, there was an altar in the basement, complete with symbols and signs of a recent bloodletting.

 

Sam let out a low whistle when he saw it. “You know what this is?”

 

“He’s ill,” Cas murmured absently. “And he’s doing what he can to prolong his life.” He pointed at one symbol. “Here, and here. Ancient runes for health and long life. I’ve seen something like this before.”

 

“When?” Sam asked.

 

“When we rescued Ryan and Cora,” Cas replied. “We went back the next day, and found the place where he’d planned to sacrifice them.”

 

“Dean said he was trying to raise a demon,” Sam objected.

 

Cas shook his head. “He didn’t know what he was doing. This man did.” He pointed at a bowl, and Sam saw a dark liquid that was beginning to cake and dry. “Blood. I’m guessing there is also something from the kids in here. There was a cut on his wrist. It was shallow, and scabbed over, but I saw it when he pointed out the bathroom. He probably added his blood to tie his life force to theirs.”

 

Sam had dealt with witches before, but never something like this. “What do we do?”

 

“Let’s check the rest of the property,” Cas replied.

 

They stopped to tie the man up, just to ensure he didn’t go anywhere, and then they went out to the barn. There was nothing there, and no animals to worry about, but Cas said, “Let’s check the shed.”

 

That was when they hit pay dirt in the form of a couple of skeletons. They didn’t look very big, and maybe they were kids, or maybe they were just small, but Sam figured it was confirmation that something was very wrong.

 

“How do we stop him?” Sam asked. “Or break the spell or whatever?”

 

“We burn the place down,” Cas said quietly. “The way he’s bound his life to theirs, they’ll slowly waste away and die. Eventually, he’ll either die, too, or he’ll find another set of victims.”

 

Sam thought about that for a second. There was a part of him that wanted to object, to ask to find another way, but that voice was largely silent these days, not like it had been when he’d been younger.

 

“Are you sure?” Sam asked quietly.

 

Cas met his eye squarely. “I’m certain, Sam.”

 

“Then let’s do it.”

 

They started the fire in the basement, and Cas sent Sam to set the storage room on fire. Sam heard the sound of a gun firing as he waited for the flames to take hold of the damp newspaper, and was strangely grateful that Cas had volunteered to put a bullet in the guy’s head.

 

Sam felt sick and strangely hollow, but he thought of Rich and Jacinta, pale and unmoving in their makeshift cots, and Ben and Mary, alive and vibrant.

 

Cypress Grove wasn’t all that far away, and Ben and Mary often took rides on the bikes. It didn’t take much imagination to think of them driving by, getting caught up, maybe dying.

 

They salted the bones of the skeletons they’d found and burned the shed down too, and when they were certain it would be reduced to ash, they drove away, although Sam was behind the wheel this time.

 

He was grateful for it. He needed the distraction that driving along the rough roads provided.

 

“I’m sorry,” Cas said after some time had passed in silence, the sun beginning its descent.

 

“For what?”

 

“It’s easier for me,” he said. “I am still not precisely human.”

 

“You seem human enough to me,” Sam replied.

 

Cas shook his head. “I killed a man in cold blood, while he lay unconscious. What does that make me?”

 

“You did it to protect your family,” Sam replied. “I think that makes you a good man.”

 

They made the rest of the drive in silence, Cas’ head against the passenger window, and Sam tapping out a rhythm against the steering wheel.

 

He wondered what they would do if they got back home and discovered that what they had done had no effect, how they would feel then.

 

And he just wasn’t sure.

 

Sam pulled the Willys up in front of Dean’s house and parked, seeing that all the lights in the house were on. There were kids playing tag in front, and he saw Ryan and Cora, and Casey and Cal and Henry running around. Ben and Mary were sitting on the steps, pressed tightly together, and Sam took a deep breath.

 

“You ready?”

 

Cas nodded, and pushed the passenger door open.

 

The house was noisy when they entered, and Sam looked in the front room, seeing Rich and Jacinta up and awake, sitting next to each other on the couch, and sipping from mugs.

 

“They woke up a couple of hours ago,” Maryanne said, coming to greet them. “Your doing?”

 

Sam exchanged a look with Cas. “Maybe so. Did you leave anything for us?”

 

“I guess you’ll just have to see,” she replied.

 

Sam could see the look of relief on Cas’ face, and he realized that whatever Cas had said, he still harbored a bit of doubt that he’d been right.

 

“Sam!” Julia called, moving quickly down the hall to pull him into a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

 

“Not a scratch on me,” he assured her, although he knew it would be a long time before he could leave behind the memory of a house going up in flames, or the small skeletons in the storage shed.

 

But he figured he could focus on being grateful that they’d prevented two more deaths.

 

“Come eat,” Julia said. “I set aside a bowl of that chicken chili you like so much.”

 

“I love you,” Sam said fervently, suddenly incredibly hungry, his appetite catching up to him. Lunch had been a long time ago.

 

Julia laughed. “I suppose they were right when they said a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

 

There was enough left over for Sam and Cas each to have a bowl, and then a bowl of each of the other soups that Maryanne and Mary had made—beef stew and some kind of lentil with a lot of vegetables that Sam really liked, even if the amount left over indicated that not everybody else had.

 

Sam wanted nothing more than to go home with Julia, but he pulled Dean aside to ask, “Do you need me here?”

 

“Go home,” Dean replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

 

Sam smiled. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

 

“You’re always going to have a place here,” Dean said quietly. “But don’t hold back on my account, Sammy. I know where to find you when I need you.”

 

“Same goes for me,” Sam replied. “Let me know if you need my help with the newest additions.”

 

Dean frowned. “We’re working on a solution. Maryanne has some ideas.”

 

Sam laughed. “Better you than me, man.”

 

“Don’t I know it,” Dean said with a sigh. “I’ll let you know if there’s anything you can do.”

 

Sam made sure he stopped on the way out to Julia’s car to say goodbye to Casey. “You come see me if you need anything at all,” he whispered in her ear, hugging her tightly. “I’ll come running.”

  
She nodded against his chest. “Thanks, Uncle Sam.”

 

“Any time, Tough Stuff,” Sam murmured, and then he got in the car to go home.

 

~~~~~

 

Cas let Dean get the kids to bed while he showered and then stretched out on their bed in his boxers. The window was open, so he could hear the sound of Maryanne’s truck crunching over gravel, and Ben and Henry calling out a goodnight. He heard the sound of Dean’s cane on the stairs, and the chattering of the younger children pounding up the stairs.

 

They were good sounds; they were sounds of home. They were the sounds he’d killed to protect.

 

Dean entered the room, getting undressed and then stretching out next to Cas, holding out an arm. “C’mere.”

 

Cas went willingly, pressing his face into Dean’s muscled shoulder.

 

“Tired?”

 

“You have no idea,” Cas muttered, his voice muffled.

 

“Think I have some idea,” Dean replied. “I’ve been up just as long as you have.”

 

Cas pressed his lips to Dean’s shoulder in apology. “Sorry.”

 

“You want to talk about it?” Dean asked.

 

Cas was quiet for a long moment, gathering his thoughts, figuring out what he wanted to say, and how he wanted to say it. “We found the man, and I sucker punched him. And then we found his altar, and a couple of skeletons that were obviously children’s skeletons, so I shot him in the head, and we burned his place down.”

 

Dean ran a rough hand through Cas’ hair. “Always knew you were a fucking badass.”

 

“I kept thinking that it might have been Ben and Mary,” Cas admitted. “And I was pretty sure, but I wasn’t positive.”

 

“How long have you been alive?” Dean asked quietly.

 

“Millennia,” Cas replied.

 

Dean scratched the back of Cas’ head in that way he liked so much. “So, I figure you have that much experience to draw on, plus all the hunting we’ve done, nobody has better instincts, Cas. You might not have been 100% sure, but you were sure enough. Sometimes that’s as close as you get.”

 

Cas raised his head to kiss Dean hungrily, and Dean chuckled against his mouth. “Thought you were tired,” Dean murmured.

 

“I caught my second wind,” Cas said, and slotted their hips together, pushing his underwear down with one hand while Dean pushed his down to his knees.

 

There were too many kids around, and too many likely to be awake, so it was a quick and dirty rutting, Cas’ hand wrapped around both their cocks.

 

They were both tired enough that their orgasms were a while in coming, and Cas was cautious of the fact that their door was unlocked, and they could have a kid burst in at any time.

 

Cas bit his lip to keep from making noise, and Dean threw his head back, and then they were both coming at the same time. They just held on to each other for long moments, and then Cas reached for his discarded t-shirt to clean them up.

 

When they had their boxers back on, and had pulled the sheet up, Cas tangled his fingers with Dean’s; it was too hot to do much more than that.

 

“Don’t ever apologize for protecting our family, Cas,” Dean finally said, his voice gruff. “Even when it’s the wrong decision, I know you’re always going to make it for the right reasons, and that’s enough.”

 

Cas squeezed Dean’s hand. “I guess it has to be.”

 

And maybe what Cas had done was enough to protect their family, and save the lives of a couple of kids, but it wasn’t going to be enough to save Rich from himself.

 

They’d incorporated a lot of kids into their household over the years, but it soon appeared that Rich was going to be the exception, and the trouble started the next morning.

 

Cas fried up eggs and watched as the kids ate. It was Saturday, which meant chores but no lessons, and all of their kids tended to rush through their duties so they’d have the rest of the day free.

 

Rich and Cal accepted food without so much as a please or thank you, although when Jacinta murmured a quiet, “Thank you,” Cal followed suit.

 

Dean had drilled common courtesy into their kids’ heads over and over again, and Cas could see the looks that they gave each other.

 

“You should say ‘thank you,’” Ben said when it became obvious that Rich wasn’t going to acknowledge Cas’ efforts. “He didn’t have to cook, you know.”

 

Rich looked sullen. “What? It’s just eggs.”

 

Cal flushed and ducked his head.

 

“It’s breakfast,” Henry insisted. “And _you_ didn’t have to cook.”

 

Rich shrugged. “Yeah, whatever. Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Cas replied, thinking that it was probably a good thing Dean had already gone into town to take a look at Mercer’s truck. Dean typically had far less patience for dealing with that sort of attitude than Cas did.

 

As everyone finished, they took their plates to the sink, and Mary began to wash up. Rich left his on the table, and was about to walk out of the kitchen, when Cas said, “Take your dishes to the sink and sit back down, please. Cal, Jacinta, you do the same.”

 

For a moment, Cas thought Rich would defy him; he sneered and opened his mouth, but Jacinta touched him on the shoulder and quickly shook her head.

 

Rich did as he was told, but he practically slammed his dishes in the sink, and threw himself back into his seat. Cal and Jacinta, thankfully, followed the other kids’ lead as they placed their dirty dishes on the counter, and sat back down.

 

“All three of you are excused from chores today, but everyone pulls their weight around here. If you’re staying, you will be expected to help,” he said firmly. “Casey and Ben can show you the ropes.”

 

Cas expected an argument, but Cal and Jacinta nodded, and Rich shrugged carelessly. He made a mental note to watch him.

 

Neither Rich nor Jacinta showed up for dinner that night, although Cal had apparently spent the day with Casey and Henry, wandering around the property.

 

“You know where they are?” Dean asked Cal with a frown.

 

He shook his head. “No, sir.”

 

“Does he do this a lot?” Dean asked, gentling his voice.

 

Cal shrugged. “When we were at Mr. Arnolds’ place, he was always sneaking off to be with Jace. He got in trouble a few times for it.”

 

“Well, I’ll talk to him when he gets back, then,” Dean said mildly, although Cas was fairly certain the rest of the kids heard the threat in his voice.

 

They retreated into the living room while the kids cleaned up the kitchen, and Cas said, “I think we’re going to have some trouble with Rich.”

 

Dean scratched his beard. “He’s got an attitude, that’s for sure. We’ll see if it gets better over the next couple of days. If not, we might have to make other arrangements. Assuming he turns up again.”

 

Cas felt a simmering mixture of worry and anger as the hours ticked by and Rich and Jacinta still hadn’t made an appearance. They’d gone to a lot of trouble to help them, and they hadn’t gotten one word in gratitude.

 

And maybe that had a lot to do with Rich’s age, but Cas knew his attitude wouldn’t endear him to the other kids, and would just cause more disruption over the long run.

 

Rich and Jacinta wandered in just after ten, wearing innocent expressions.

 

“I won’t ask where you’ve been,” Dean said quietly as they entered the house, meeting them in the front entryway. “But I will tell you that you missed dinner, and you didn’t let us know you weren’t going to be here. If it happens again, you won’t eat.”

 

Rich snorted. “So what?”

 

“So, someone prepared that food thinking you two were going to be here,” Dean replied, backing Rich up against the wall, Jacinta retreating with wide eyes. “And Cas and Sam saved your fucking life. The least you could do is show a little gratitude.”

 

Cas suspected that Rich had seen Dean’s limp and the gray in his hair, and thought him weak.

 

Not anymore, though, because he ducked his head and flushed brightly. “Yeah.”

 

“Try again,” Dean said in a low, angry voice.

 

Rich cleared his throat. “Yes, sir.”

 

Dean nodded. “Better. If you’re hungry, there’s food in the fridge.”

 

Rich stalked off down the hall, and Jacinta stood there, her head down, dark hair obscuring her expression. “Sorry for Rich. He’s just—we _are_ grateful.”

 

Dean stepped aside. “Go on and get something to eat, and then get to bed, okay?”

 

“Maybe that will be enough to put the fear of God into him,” Cas said.

 

Dean snorted. “Yeah, right. He might not act up in front of me for a while, but I know that type. He’s going to have to get knocked around a lot more before he learns a little humility.”

 

As far as Cas knew, Sunday passed without incident. He went into town to attend church, and brought Ryan and Cora with him. Henry and Casey took Cal fishing, so they had fried fish for dinner that night, and Ben and Mary had taken Rich and Jacinta out riding.

 

Cas was beginning to think that things might settle down, and they’d work it out, but midday Monday he got called into town to help out a grieving widow, and Dean took Ben to help him work on a delivery van the local store used to transport produce a couple of towns over.

 

The other kids were responsible enough to be on their own for a day, and Mary would look after Ryan and Cora. But as Cas walked back up to the house, he heard Casey’s cry of pain, and he started running.

 

Out by the side of the barn, Cal clutched his arm, his clothes dusty. Casey was sprawled on the ground, and Henry was standing over Rich, his fists clenched. “You don’t touch them again,” Henry snarled. “I will fuck you up if you do.”

 

Rich sprang up. “You pussy! You going to sucker punch me? I’ll—”

 

Casey was up now, and she kneed him in the groin. “You don’t touch him either. There are more of us than there are of you, now.”

 

“Enough!” Cas shouted, and all the kids startled. “Henry, where are the others?”

 

“Jace is helping Mary bake a cake in the kitchen,” Henry said. “Ryan and Cora are with them. Dad asked us to help clean the barn.”

 

Cal and Casey were silent, and Rich was still on the ground, clearly in pain.

 

“What happened?” Cas asked quietly. “Casey?”

 

“Rich wouldn’t help,” Casey said with a contemptuous look for Rich. “He was going to make Cal and me do his work. We said we wouldn’t, and he hit Cal, and then he hit me. Henry hit him.”

 

Cas nodded. “I see. Go get cleaned up.” When they shuffled their feet, he added, “ _Now_.”

 

Rich began to rise, and Cas grabbed him by the back of the shirt and hauled him up, marching him into the barn away from prying eyes, and then giving him a little shove.

 

“I didn’t—” Rich began.

 

“ _Shut up_ ,” Cas snapped, and apparently Rich had some self-preservation instinct, because he did just that. “Listen to me very carefully. You have exactly two choices—you can stay, in which case you will be treated just like every other member of this family, or you can leave. But if you ever touch one of the other kids again, Dean and I will _nail your hide to the wall_.”

 

Rich rolled his eyes, and that was just about enough.

 

Cas grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pushed him into the wall, holding him there, letting Rich feel the latent power in his grasp. “Do not underestimate what we will do to protect our family.”

 

Rich gulped.

 

“Do you understand?” Cas growled.

 

“I understand,” Rich replied.

 

Cas released him and took a step back. “Dinner will be at six. I suggest you take a walk and consider your options until then.”

 

Once he was gone, Cas went to the garden and began pulling up weeds viciously. He was still at it when Dean and Ben returned.

 

“Do I want to know?” Dean asked, standing at the edge of the large garden plot.

 

Cas sighed, and tried to brush the dirt off his hands. “Rich laid hands on Casey and Cal. I showed him the error of his ways.”

 

Dean whistled. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to watch.” He paused. “I guess it’s a good thing I asked Maryanne to look into some other options. We’ll sit them down tomorrow, let them decide.”

 

“Cal should stay here,” Cas insisted.

 

Dean smiled crookedly. “Yeah, I agree.” He reached for Cas, and pulled him into a hug. “You can’t save everyone, Cas, especially when you’re trying to save them from themselves.”

 

Cas didn’t reply, but he knew all too well how right Dean was.

 

~~~~~

 

Sam figured that two days was probably about as much as he could ask for, and wasn’t all that surprised when Dean showed up at Howl’s to request his presence at the house that night. “I’d tell you to bring Julia and Aubrey, but we’re sitting down with Casey’s brothers.”

 

“Awkward,” Sam suggested.

 

“Could be,” Dean admitted. “Cas and I talked about how we want to handle it, and Maryanne has some options if they don’t want to stick around. I just figured Casey might like to have you there.”

 

Sam nodded. “It’s a family thing, right?”

 

“Julia is family, but this is different,” Dean replied. “Thanks, Sam.”

 

Sam shrugged. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad you asked me to be there.”

 

Howl strolled up right after Dean left. “Trouble at your brother’s?”

 

“They’re going to figure out what to do with Casey’s brothers,” Sam replied, having filled Howl in on the situation, and knowing Howl would have heard the gossip besides. “I thought I’d be there for Casey.”

 

Howl nodded slowly. “Family—it’s the best comfort a person can have, and the thing that’s guaranteed to drive you crazy.”

 

Sam laughed. “Been on both sides of that equation. If you don’t need me late tonight, I think I might go home and have dinner with your niece before I head over.”

 

Howl nodded. “When are you going to make an honest woman out of her?”

 

Sam laughed. “I don’t know. Ask her.”

 

“Are you kidding?” Howl asked. “I’m more scared of her than I am of you.”

 

Julia took the news that Sam would be going over to Dean’s with equanimity. “You know, if Casey or her brothers need somewhere to go, we’ve got some extra space here.”

 

Sam was glad Aubrey was watching a movie; the kid was obsessed with the Disney version of Robin Hood, and watched it nonstop. “I was thinking we could save that room for kids of our own,” Sam admitted.

 

Julia raised her eyebrows. “Is there something you want to ask me?”

 

“I don’t have a ring,” Sam admitted.

 

“What am I going to do with a ring?” Julia asked. “I’ve got you.”

 

Sam kissed her. “You’re a sap.”

 

“Takes one to know one,” Julia replied.

 

“See you tonight?” Sam asked.

 

Julia touched his cheek, just below the eye patch. “You’d better. I’ll wait up.”

 

When Sam got to Dean’s, he saw Cora on the tire swing with Ryan pushing her. “Hey, Uncle Sam,” Ryan called, although he was a little more subdued than usual. “You here for the show?”

 

Ryan had been developing a rather cynical sense of humor that was very much like Dean’s, and Sam couldn’t help but laugh. “Is there going to be one?”

 

Ryan shrugged. “Cal’s okay, and Jace seems decent enough, but Rich is a total asshole. He won’t lift a finger to help out, and he keeps shoving Cal around. He tried to do it to Casey, too, but it was in front of Henry, and Henry knows how to fight dirty.”

 

Sam snorted. “So do you.”

 

“So do I!” Cora piped up. “Papa Dean taught me!”

 

“I would have been disappointed if he hadn’t,” Sam admitted. “I’m assuming Casey knows, too.”

 

Ryan shrugged. “She followed it up with a punch to the nuts. Not her fault that the asshole managed a sucker punch.”

 

“The others inside?” Sam asked.

 

“Living room,” Ryan said. “Although I think Mary might be hiding up in the barn. She doesn’t like Rich either.”

 

Sam figured that was saying something, because there weren’t a lot of people Mary didn’t like.

 

Sam entered the house and felt the tension immediately. Dean was sitting in his usual chair in the living room, his bad leg propped up, and Cas perched on the arm next to him, one arm around Dean to anchor himself. The other chair was empty, and Ben leaned up against the wall behind Dean, his arms crossed defensively, while Casey sat cross-legged on the floor not far away, Henry pressed up against her.

 

Rich was sprawled on the couch, next to Jacinta, who held his hand tightly, and Cal sat on the other end, his shoulders hunched up around his ears.

 

“Good, you’re here,” Dean said with a smile of welcome, although his tone was steely. “Thanks for coming, Sam.”

 

“No problem,” Sam said easily, sitting in the chair that had apparently been left empty for him.

 

“So, here’s the deal,” Dean began. “All three of you can stay here if that’s what you want, but if you do, you’ll follow the same rules as everybody else. You’ll be treated as family.”

 

Rich’s chin went out pugnaciously. “We don’t need nobody.”

 

Sam could see Cas’ mouth thin out, and he suspected Cas was remembering the lengths they’d gone to in order to save this ungrateful brat. Sam wanted to ask how that was working out for him, but he held his tongue.

 

Like he’d told Casey, some people had to learn the hard way.

 

“Your choice,” Dean said pleasantly, but Sam could hear the danger in his voice. “You’re what? Sixteen?”

 

“Seventeen!” Rich said. “I’ll be eighteen soon.”

 

“And Jace?” Dean prompted.

 

“Sixteen,” she said, and that was the first time Sam had heard her speak. “And I’m not going back! My parents won’t let us be together!”

 

Privately, Sam thought her parents probably had a lot of sense.

 

Dean nodded. “That’s up to you. What’s not up to you right now is what happens to Cal, unless you have a way of looking out for him. If you do, that’s fine, you can do whatever you want. If you don’t, he stays here.”

 

Cal glanced up, and Sam could see longing war with fear on the boy’s face.

 

Dean glanced at him. “Unless Cal wants us to make other arrangements, in which case we can, but he’s going to need a place to stay, and regular meals.”

 

Rich shrugged. “He can stay. We’re only here because he wanted to come anyway.”

 

Casey looked stricken at that, and Cal’s shoulders shuddered.

 

Dean nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “It’s his choice.”

 

Cal cleared his throat. “I want to stay, if you’ll have me.”

 

“You’re welcome here, Cal,” Cas said quietly.

 

“If you two want to save up some money before you hit the road again, Maryanne talked with the owner of the general store in town,” Dean continued. “He needs some help, and there are some farmers in the area that hire a seasonal crew. She’s got a line on an apartment in town. It’s not much, but it’s yours if you want it.”

 

Rich sneered, and Sam thought he’d turn it down, but Jacinta spoke first. “Yes, thank you. We’re grateful for what you’ve done for us.”

 

Dean nodded. “It’s no more than we would have done for anybody who needed help. You can pass along the favor another time.”

 

Ben spoke up. “You two can take my room for tonight. I’ll sleep in the house.”

 

Sam suspected that Ben would actually bunk with Mary, or Mary would bunk with him in the house, but he could already sense how the others were aligning against Rich.

 

If half of what Ryan had said was true, there was reason for that.

 

“I’m really tired,” Jacinta said quietly, tugging on Rich’s arm.

 

Rich shrugged. “Yeah, maybe we should go to bed.”

 

There was a part of Sam that sympathized with Rich, because he’d been an asshole before, rightly or wrongly.

 

But right now, Rich was hurting the people Sam cared about the most, and so Sam didn’t give a damn about his damage.

 

Cal’s shoulders were hitching, and he stared down at the floor, not looking up, and Sam watched as Casey shared a look with Henry, and then they bracketed Cal, Casey squeezing in between him and the arm of the couch, and Henry on his other side.

 

Ben was the first to leave, sparing a sympathetic look for Cal, and Dean and Cas headed out a moment later. Dean stopped in front of Cal and put a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t lie to you, Cal,” he said. “I can’t make you stay here. But you’ve got family here, and you’ll be safe, and you’ll have three squares a day. And if it means anything to you, Casey missed you like hell.”

 

Cal nodded, although he didn’t look up, and Dean limped out of the room, his cane nowhere to be seen again, and Cas wasn’t far behind.

 

Sam squatted down in front of the kids, and Casey looked at him. He couldn’t read her expression, and he figured she probably didn’t know how she was feeling herself.

 

“Cal,” Sam said softly, waiting until the boy looked up. His eyes were dry, and he looked stricken, gutted, and Sam wished he could do something about it. “Sometimes you have to do what’s best for you, okay? You’re wanted here. That’s what you have to hang onto.”

 

Casey flung herself at him, and Sam grabbed her and held on, holding Cal’s eyes. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the boy was probably starved for affection.

 

Henry slung an arm over Cal’s shoulders. “If you’re Casey’s brother, that’s enough for us.”

 

“Okay,” Cal whispered. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

 

And then Casey let go of Sam to hug Cal, and they hung on for a long time.

 

When Sam finally got home that night, it wasn’t all that late, but he was wrung out. Aubrey was already in bed, but there was a light on in their bedroom, and he stepped inside to see Julia reading.

 

“How were things?” she asked.

 

Sam shook his head. “Cal’s going to stay, I think. Rich is probably going to blow town. He’s a little shit.”

 

“Maybe he’s just a hurt kid,” Julia suggested, which was one of the reasons Sam loved her. She always tried to see the good in people.

 

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But even hurt kids can hurt a lot of people.”

 

Julia held out an arm. “And sometimes they learn better, and they _help_ a lot of people. You just never know.”

 

Sam went to her, and was thankful all over again that he had more than one place to run to—not that he was running anymore. “Yeah, you never do,” he agreed, and let her hold him close.


End file.
